Music review: New Les Surprises Baroques in Santa Monica

We could use more surprises in a concert scene so often encased in ritual and formula. So with that in mind, a new, roving period-performance group with a flexible roster of musicians is calling itself Les Surprises Baroques.

Getting Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra concertmaster Elizabeth Blumenstock to serve as artistic director is a good first step. Now they have to build an audience, which from the looks of the pews in Santa Monica’s First Presbyterian Church on Sunday afternoon is currently in the embryonic stage.

This program, the group’s second, was labeled “Curiose Inventioni,” a dig through some cobwebbed corners of secular 17th century Italian repertoire. There were 21 pieces, none lasting more than a few minutes, some linked together so that it was sometimes hard to tell where one left off and the next began.  

Music review: Pacifica Quartet at UCLA's Royce Hall

The Pacifica Quartet likes to think big -- and in the chamber music field, that often means doing cycles. 

Some adventurous listeners remember the evening at UCLA's Schoenberg Hall in 2003 when the Pacifica served up all five of Elliott Carter’s notoriously knotty string quartets in one mighty scoop; after that, you figured that from then on, everything else would be a piece of cake for them.  There were more cycles to come -- most recently, two volumes of an emerging CD project on the Cedille label, “The Soviet Experience,” that will link all 15 Shostakovich quartets with four by his Soviet colleagues.

However, the Pacifica did not have omnivorous feats in mind when it visited UCLA’s Royce Hall on  Wednesday night -- just Beethoven’s Quartets Nos. 4 and 8, and Shostakovich’s Quartet No. 9, plus the spiky, humorous, Allegretto pizzicato movement from Bartók’s Quartet No. 4 as an encore. 

Live, the Pacifica sacrifices some of the smooth, virtually immaculate surface that it displays on its recordings. But in return, there was a big gain in dramatic tension and fire, with all four players listening intently to one another. 

Though it is one of Beethoven’s early Op. 18 quartets, the No. 4 could take the Pacifica’s emphatically-accented, forwardly-pushed approach more in stride than some of the others in Op. 18 might have.  The Beethoven Quartet No. 8 at the end of the night was even better -- from the first movement’s big symphonic chords to the perfectly sprung rhythms and fast tempos in the third and fourth movements. 

On the Pacifica’s Shostakovich CDs, the group usually stakes a middle ground between the Emerson Quartet’s fierceness and the Fitzwilliam Quartet’s warmth.  Live in the Quartet No. 9, the Pacifica leaned more toward the former approach, identifying with the wildness in the third and fifth movements, bearing down hard toward the conclusion with terrific momentum.

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-- Richard S. Ginell

Photo: The Pacifica Quartet, from left, Sibbi Bernhardsson, Brandon Vamos, Masumi Per Rostad and Simin Ganatra. Credit: Anthony Parmelee.

'It Gets Better' movement to spawn national touring show

 
The anti-bullying movement known as "It Gets Better" has become a success on the Internet, drawing support from President Obama, professional athletes and Hollywood celebrities. Now the project is spawning a live touring show that will travel the nation and feature members of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles.

Organizers said that the live show, scheduled to kick off this fall, will feature a blend of music, theater and multimedia. The show will tell the story of a young gay teenager contemplating his life and will feature contemporary pop music, according to Chris Verdugo, interim executive director of the Gay Men's Chorus of L.A.

The show is expected to have a three-day preliminary run in L.A. and will travel to venues in Iowa, New York, Pennsylvania and other states. The exact venues and dates will be announced at a later time.

Arts on TV: Julius Shulman; Billy Childs Jazz Chamber Ensemble

Movie: “Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman” (2008) 6 and 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Sundance: Narrated by Dustin Hoffman. Photographer Julius Shulman helps bring architecture's Modernist movement to the forefront and collaborates with architect Richard Neutra and others on many important projects.

“SoCal Insider With Rick Reiff” 1 p.m. Thursday; 7 p.m. Friday; 11:30 a.m. Sunday, KOCE; noon Wednesday, KOCE: Opera legend Placido Domingo. 

“Exploring the Arts With Gloria Greer” 6:30 p.m. Thursday, KVCR: Jackie Autry's Private Collection.

“Open Call” 9 p.m. Thursday, KCET: Colburn School Orchestra. Hosted by mezzo-soprano opera singer Suzanna Guzman.

“Orchestra Kids 2011” 10:30 p.m. Thursday, KCET: Behind the scenes with the All Schools Elementary Honor Orchestra as it prepares for its annual concert in renowned Schoenberg Concert Hall in UCLA.

“SoCal Connected” 9 p.m. Friday; 6 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, KCET: Herbie Hancock: All That's Jazz: Correspondent Michael Okwu shares what it was like to spend time with jazz artist Herbie Hancock.

“Santa Monica On Stage” 8 p.m. Friday, City TV Channel 16, Santa Monica: Barbara Bain ("Why We Have A Body"). Writer Rex Pickett and director Amelia Mulkey ("Sideways, The Play").

“Art in the Twenty-First Century” 10 p.m. Friday, KOCE: Change: Artists Ai Weiwei, El Anatsui and Catherine Opie. (Season Premiere)

“Dudu Fisher: In Concert From Israel” 1:30 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday; 8 p.m. Wednesday, KCET: Dudu Fisher performs Broadway tunes and Israeli songs. 

“Laguna Beach Live Presents: Billy Childs Jazz Chamber Ensemble With Calder Quartet” 11 p.m. Saturday, KOCE: The Jazz Chamber Ensemble is a synthesis of jazz and classical chamber music.

“My Generation” 10 p.m. Monday, KLCS: Opera singer Denyce Graves; Cheech Marin.

“Independent Lens” 11 p.m. Sunday, KOCE: When the Drum Is Beating: Haiti's past and present is explored through the music of the country's oldest and best-known band.

“Grand Canyon Serenade” 5 a.m. Tuesday, KVCR: A visual tour of the Grand Canyon is set to classical music by Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Dvorak.

-- Compiled by Ed Stockly

Photo: Billy Childs. Credit: Javiera Estrada 

Arts on TV: Renee Fleming; Getty Museum gardens; Suzanna Guzman

“Soulful Symphony With Darin Atwater: Song in a Strange Land” Noon Thursday, KCET: Darin Atwater conducts an 85-member orchestra in compositions exhibiting styles ranging through gospel, jazz and symphonic music.

“Open Call” 9 p.m. Thursday, KCET: "USC First Look": Hosted by mezzo-soprano opera singer Suzanna Guzman; looks at four films from USC's First Look film festival.

“Independent Lens” 9 p.m. Thursday and 9 p.m. Monday, KOCE: "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey": Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo.

“Dudu Fisher: In Concert From Israel” Noon Friday, KCET: Dudu Fisher performs Broadway tunes and Israeli songs.

“Live From Lincoln Center” 10 p.m. Friday, KOCE: "Renée Fleming at the Penthouse": Soprano Renée Fleming's performance features “Knoxville: Summer of 1915” and songs from “Dark Hope.” With Josh Groban.

“The Victory Garden” 9:30 a.m. Saturday, KLCS; 2:30 p.m. Saturday, KVCR: "Easy: The Getty Museum."

“Rick Steves' Europe” 2:30 p.m. Saturday, KOCE: "Florence: City of Art": Florence, Italy; Michelangelo's “David”; Botticelli's “Venus”; Uffizi art gallery; perfumery; Vespa; converted monastery.

“Great Performances” 9 p.m. Saturday, KOCE: "Hugh Laurie: Let Them Talk -- A Celebration of New Orleans Blues": Hugh Laurie performs New Orleans blues and jazz with Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas and Tom Jones.

“Chris Botti in Boston, Part II” 11:30 p.m. Saturday, KOCE: A continuation of the trumpeter's performance with the Boston Pops and conductor Keith Lockhart includes guests Sting, Steven Tyler, Josh Groban and Yo-Yo Ma.

“American Masters” 11 p.m. Sunday, KOCE: "Hey, Boo: Harper Lee and To Kill a Mockingbird": A documentary about Pulitzer Prize-winning author Harper Lee, who never published again after “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“Rick Steves' Europe” Midnight Monday, KCET: "Rome: Baroque, After Dark": A tour of Rome includes a pilgrimage to Michelangelo's Pieta, St. Peter's Basilica and the Borghese Gallery.

“Glee: Don't Stop Believing” 6 and 10 p.m. Tuesday, Biography: The stars of “Glee” perform for their auditions and exhibit how they found their way to the small screen.

-- Compiled by Ed Stockly

Photo: "Open Call's" Suzanna Guzman. Credit KCET

Theater review: 'Lincoln: An American Story' at Pasadena Playhouse

On April 14, 1865, Union Army medic Charles Leale went to Ford’s Theatre to see “Our American Cousin,” and became the de facto presiding physician in the aftermath of President Lincoln’s assassination. He was 23 years old. Leale’s extraordinary story is the heart of “Lincoln: An American Story for Actor and Symphony Orchestra,” Hershey Felder’s schmaltzy, stirring solo show with live music, now at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Basically, this is a one-man oratorio: Writer-performer-composer Felder, dressed in a Civil War uniform, is accompanied by a 45-piece orchestra playing his own score as well as such classics as “My Old Kentucky Home” and “Beautiful Dreamer.” It is quite grand, if not perhaps a little grandiose, especially under the epic direction of Joel Zwick (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”).

Felder, whose canny stage portraits of Beethoven, Chopin and Leonard Bernstein seem to be keeping some of L.A.’s larger nonprofit theaters afloat these days, is a natural ham. He is not so much an actor as a performer, and his florid gestures and pantomime feel very 19th century indeed.

If he oversells his tale, there’s certainly no need -- “Lincoln” has an irresistible hook. The step-by-step account of the shooting, the immediate aftermath at Ford’s Theatre and Lincoln’s deathbed are all the more absorbing for their minute details. Other sections, such as Walt Whitman’s vigils at the bedsides of wounded soldiers, or a brief description of minstrelsy, play like ideas that haven’t been fully integrated.

Pacific Symphony pops season: Gladys Knight, Kenny G, Jersey Boys

Gladys Knight, Amy Grant and Kenny G are the leading stars of the Pacific Symphony’s 2012-13 pops season in Costa Mesa, with four members of the original Broadway cast of “Jersey Boys” and two former witches from the “Wicked” franchise also in the mix.

The season at the Segerstrom Center’s Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, announced this week, also includes a multimedia tribute to George and Ira Gershwin, as well as a movie night (May 9-11, 2013) at which the orchestra will provide live accompaniment to Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor and Debbie Reynolds in a screening of “Singin’ in the Rain.”

“Wicked Divas – An Evening of Broadway Hits” (Nov. 15-17) stars the team of Alli Mauzey, who grew up in Anaheim Hills and went on to play Glinda in "Wicked" on Broadway, and Julia Murney, a former Elphaba from Broadway and touring companies of “Wicked.” They'll sing songs from hit musicals, among them both "Wicked" and “The Wizard of Oz.” Murney's credentials include surviving Broadway's critically pilloried “Lennon,” in which she was one of the nine actors who took turns playing John Lennon. Her reading of "Beautiful Boy" was one of the few moments that critics liked in the 2005 disaster.

Three of the “Jersey Boys” original Broadway cast veterans -- Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard and J. Robert Spencer, who played Four Seasons Tommy DeVito, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi, respectively -- perform June 13-15, 2013, as will Michael Longoria, who played several parts, including a young Joe Pesci, while understudying (and eventually succeeding) the original Frankie Valli, John Lloyd Young.

The Pacific Symphony’s announcement says that the show is “not a performance of, nor affiliated with the show 'Jersey Boys.'” Instead, the foursome, billed as the Midtown Men, will sing a repertoire of harmony-driven oldies, with the Beatles, Beach Boys, Temptations and Jackson 5 on the menu along with the Four Seasons.

Arts on TV: San Francisco Symphony; 'War Horse'; Dudu Fisher

“Globe Trekker” 1:30 p.m. Thursday, KCET: Amsterdam City Guide 2 : The Rijksmuseum boasts a collection of paintings by the Dutch masters; Van Gogh Museum; Anne Frank House; gay parade.

“Exploring the Arts With Gloria Greer” 6:30 p.m. Thursday, KVCR: Michael H. Lord Gallery.

“Open Call” 9 p.m. Thursday, KCET: The Colburn Orchestra.  

“Late Show With David Letterman” 11:35 p.m. Thursday, CBS: A performance from Broadway's “Once.”

“Great Performances” 9 p.m. Friday, KOCE: San Francisco Symphony at 100: Amy Tan hosts the San Francisco Symphony's centennial celebration. Special guests include Itzhak Perlman and Lang Lang.

“Live From the Artists Den” 10 p.m. Friday, KLCS: Grammy nominee Death Cab for Cutie performs at the Brooklyn Museum.

“Making 'War Horse'” 1, 5:30, 8 and 11 p.m. Saturday, KOCE; 2 and 3 p.m. Sunday, KOCE: : Behind the scenes of the National Theatre of Britain's stage production of “War Horse.”

“Yanni — Live at El Morro” 4 p.m. Saturday, KOCE; noon Monday, KOCE:  Yanni performs with his 15-piece orchestra at El Morro, a 16th century citadel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  

 “Great Performances” noon Sunday, KOCE: "The Thomashefskys: Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theater": Michael Tilson Thomas, music director of the San Francisco Symphony, brings to life the words and music of the American Yiddish theater in a tribute to his grandparents, Bessie and Boris Thomashefsky. (N)
 
“Still” 9 p.m. Sunday, KLCS: Painter Clyfford Still was a leader of the Abstract Expressionist movement.  

“American Masters” 9 p.m. Monday, KOCE: Margaret Mitchell: American Rebel : Pulitzer Prize-winning author Margaret Mitchell endured depression and illness until her death in 1949.

“American Masters” 10 p.m. Monday, KOCE: "Hey, Boo: Harper Lee & 'To Kill a Mockingbird'": Pulitzer Prize-winning author Harper Lee never published again after “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

“Rick Steves' Europe” 7 p.m. Tuesday, KCET: Lisbon and the Algarve : The best of Portugal features Lisbon's Fado singers and ornate architecture.

“Dudu Fisher: In Concert From Israel” 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, KCET: Singer Dudu Fisher performs Broadway tunes and Israeli songs.

— Compiled by Ed Stockly

Photo: Lang Lang in "Great Performances: San Francisco Symphony at 100." Credit: Detlef Schneider.

Arts on TV: Trans-Siberian Orchestra; André Rieu; Ramsey Lewis

“Open Call” 9 p.m. Thursday, KCET: Fine Cut Festival of Student Films: Hosted by mezzo-soprano opera singer Suzanna Guzman.

“The World's Greatest Musical Prodigies” 10 p.m. Thursday, KLCS: Alexander meets and auditions four pianists ages 8 to 12.

“André Rieu Presents: Live in Dublin” 9:30 p.m. Friday, KVCR: The conductor leads a performance of the Johann Strauss Orchestra at the Dublin Depot in Ireland. With guest John Sheahan.

“Andre Rieu Presents: Live in Maastricht” 11:15 p.m. Friday, KVCR: The violinist performs with the Johann Strauss Orchestra at Vrijthof Square in Maastricht, Netherlands.

“The Artist Toolbox” 8:30 p.m. Saturday, KLCS: Jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis.

“Land of the Dragon” 3:30 p.m. Sunday, KCET: Painting and Calligraphy: Chinese brush painting; calligraphy.

“Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Birth of Rock Theater” Midnight Sunday, KVCR: Paul O'Neill outlines the past, present and future of the orchestra.

“Rick Steves' Europe” 7 p.m. Monday, KCET: Paris: Eiffel Tower; Orsay Gallery; French cuisine; Paris history.

“Globe Trekker” 10 p.m. Tuesday, KCET: Amsterdam City Guide 2: The Rijksmuseum boasts a collection of paintings by the Dutch masters; Van Gogh Museum; Anne Frank House; Gay Parade.

“Passport to Europe With Samantha Brown” 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Travel:  The London Eye; Indian cuisine; Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum.

-- Compiled by Ed Stockly

 Photo: "Trans-Siberian Orchestra: The Birth of Rock Theater" Credit: Mark Weiss / PBS 

Chaka Khan to be inducted into Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame

Chaka Khan will join country singer Reba McEntire as this year’s inductees into the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame, the Los Angeles Philharmonic announced Monday. McEntire's induction was announced earlier this month. 

The ceremony, as well as performances by the two singers, will be opening night at the Hollywood Bowl, June 22 at 8 p.m. Julie Andrews will host the event, with presenters and special guests still to be announced. 

Tickets from the concert range from $12-$112; proceeds benefit the L.A. Phil and its music education programs.

Known as the “Queen of Funk,” Khan gained fame in the music scene in the 1970s as the frontwoman of funk band Rufus, and her work has since ranged from pop and rap to R&B. Khan most recently preformed at the Bowl as part of last summer’s jazzy tribute to Joni Mitchell.

The Bowl induction is the newest in a growing list of recent accolades for Khan: In May, the 10-time Grammy winner received the 2,440th star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in September the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee announced that Khan and Rufus were nominated for induction to the hall.

Established in 2000, the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame pays tribute to artists “whose unique achievements embody the spirit” of the Bowl, according to a release. Other inductees include Garth Brooks, Bonnie Raitt, George Harrison, B.B. King and an artist who has written songs with Khan, Stevie Wonder.

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--Jamie Wetherbe

Photo: Chaka Khan on Feb. 8 in New York; Credit: Charles Sykes / Associated Press